BIG ACE ARCTIC RESOLUTION

A Call to Protect the Arctic Ocean from Surface to Sea Floor

A GLOBAL CALL TO ACTION

Save the Arctic, Save Our Planet for Future Generations –

From the moment we landed in Svalbard, we knew we were standing on the front lines of a climate emergency. Glaciers that stood for millennia are now retreating at an alarming speed. Ice charts, once unchallenged, now show vast expanses of open water. We reached nearly 82° North – not as a triumph, but as a tragic marker of what we have lost. This is not exploration. This is a global warning in motion.
We, 98 Climate Avengers from 25 nations and 5 continents, gathered aboard the MV Sylvia Earle to witness the Arctic in crisis. What we saw was undeniable: the Arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the planet. Its glaciers are swiftly retreating, its sea ice is quickly vanishing, and with it, the world’s climate stability is rapidly unravelling.

The Arctic is not remote. It is Earth’s thermostat. Its sea ice reflects sunlight, shapes the weather, cools the planet, and drives ocean currents. When Arctic ice melts, global weather destabilises. Heatwaves, floods, fires, and droughts around the world are intimately linked to these changes. The Arctic’s fate is the world’s fate.

Time is fast running out. The science is now crystal clear: we have less than three years before we exceed the 1.5°C threshold. Every fraction of a degree beyond that risks irreversible impacts. We must act now, boldly and decisively.

We issue this RESOLUTION AS A CALL TO ACTION FOR ALL HUMANITY. We urge the global community to:

• FULLY AND URGENTLY PROTECT THE CENTRAL ARCTIC OCEAN AND LAST ICE AREAS: Declare the Central Arctic Ocean a sanctuary – free from industrial exploitation, mining, fishing, and transpolar shipping. Protect the ‘Last Ice Area’ as a global commons for conservation.

• URGENTLY ELEVATE POLAR BEAR PROTECTION TO CITES APPENDIX I: Grant polar bears the highest level of protection under international law by ending all trade, legal and illegal. Their survival is a litmus test of our willingness to act.

• SLASH GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IMMEDIATELY: Rapidly phase out fossil fuels. Peak emissions now. Transition to renewables. Cut short-lived climate pollutants. Support a just transition for all.

• RAPIDLY SCALE UP INVESTMENT IN SCIENCE, EDUCATION, AND INDIGENOUS LEADERSHIP: Support Arctic monitoring and elevate Indigenous knowledge. Share the Arctic’s truth through media, art, and science. Engage hearts and minds globally.

• ACT WITH LOVE, SPEED, AMBITION, UNITY, AND HOPE: The world must act together. Delay is not an Option. No more dithering, no more debate. Let our action be the story future generations remember, not our excuses.

THE ARCTIC IS MELTING. OUR FUTURE IS MELTING. But we still have a choice. We choose to preserve the ice, preserve polar bears, for every child yet unborn. Let this be our line in the ice–our moment to turn the tide.

Adopted unanimously by the 98 participants of the 2025 Ocean Geographic Bears Ice Glaciers Arctic Climate Expedition (BIG ACE), representing 25 countries on 5 continents, this resolution is a pledge to protect the Arctic and preserve a liveable planet.

FOR THE LOVE OF OUR OCEAN PLANET – WE STAND TOGETHER. WE MUST NOT FAIL. For the Love of Our Ocean Planet and Humanity —
WE STAND TOGETHER. WE MUST NOT FAIL.

SIGN THIS PETITION

*Read the Full Resolution